Article 11 of the Saudi Council of Ministers Law
المادة 11 من نظام مجلس الوزراء
Article 11 limits deputizing for a minister in the Council of Ministers to another minister by order of the Prime Minister, and has the deputy minister exercise the minister's powers in his absence.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
أ - النيابة عن الوزير في مجلس الوزراء لا تكون إلا لوزير آخر وبموجب أمر يصدر من رئيس مجلس الوزراء .
ب - يتولى نائب الوزير ممارسة صلاحيات الوزير في حالة غيابه.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 11 explained in plain English
This article deals with a minister's absence from two different angles, and it is important to distinguish between them:
Paragraph (a): deputizing for the minister in the Council of Ministers. If someone is needed to deputize for the minister in the Council, deputizing may happen only on two conditions:
- The deputy must be another minister.
- It must be by an order issued by the Prime Minister.
So, under this paragraph, neither the deputy minister nor anyone else takes the minister's seat in the Council.
Paragraph (b): the minister's powers within his ministry. When the minister is absent, the deputy minister exercises his powers. This ensures work continues in the ministry of which the minister is the direct head and final authority under Article 10.
This article is linked to Article 12, which sets out who makes up the Council of Ministers: its head, his deputies, the working ministers, ministers of state and advisers to the King appointed as members by royal order. Under paragraph (a), deputizing in the Council is limited to another minister.
The text does not specify the length or form of the absence, so the provision stands as written without adding conditions that do not appear in it.
Practical example
A minister traveled on an official mission, and the Prime Minister issued an order for another minister to deputize for him in Council sessions, while the deputy minister ran the ministry's affairs and exercised the minister's powers during his absence, in line with the two paragraphs of Article 11.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 11 of the Saudi Council of Ministers Law
Can a deputy minister attend the Council of Ministers in place of the minister?
Article 11 provides that deputizing for a minister in the Council of Ministers may be done only by another minister and by order of the Prime Minister.
Who exercises the minister's powers if he is absent?
The deputy minister does, under paragraph (b) of Article 11.
Who assigns a minister to deputize for another minister in the Council?
This is done by an order issued by the Prime Minister.
More articles on Minister's Powers and Deputizing
- Article 10
Article 10 makes the minister the direct head and final authority for the affairs of his ministry, exercising his work under this Law and other laws and regulations.
يعتبر الوزير هو الرئيس المباشر والمرجع النهائي لشئون وزارته ويمارس أعماله وفق أحكام هذا النظام والأنظمة واللوائح الأخرى.
- Article 15
Article 15 bars the Council of Ministers from deciding a matter concerning a ministry's work except in the presence of its minister or his deputy, unless necessity requires otherwise.
لا يتخذ مجلس الوزراء قرارا في موضوع خاص بأعمال وزارة من الوزارات إلا بحضور وزيرها أو من ينوب عنه ما لم تدع الضرورة لذلك.
- Article 22
Article 22 gives every minister the right to propose a draft law or regulation concerning his ministry's work, and lets every member propose what he sees as worth discussing in the Council with the Prime Minister's approval.
لكل وزير الحق بأن يقترح مشروع نظام أو لائحة يتعلق بأعمال وزارته. كما يحق لكل عضو من أعضاء مجلس الوزراء أن يقترح ما يرى مصلحة من بحثه في المجلس بعد موافقة رئيس م
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.